Sandy beach and vegetated shoreline area along Lake Ontario. Credit: Roy L. Widrig/NYSG

Workshops — At the Water's Edge: Working With Nature to Protect Shorelines Along Eastern Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River

Contacts: 

Roy Widrig, New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Coastal Processes and Hazards Specialist, E: rlw294@cornell.edu, P: 315-312-3042

Molly Farrell, NYSDEC, E: Molly.Farrell@dec.ny.gov, P: 315-785-2245 

Nance Arquiett, DEC Region 6 Publicist, E: nance.arquiett@dec.ny.gov, P: 315-785-2267

Kara Lynn Dunn, NYSG Great Lakes Publicist, E: karalynn@gisco.net, P: 315-465-7578

Oswego, NY, May 22, 2023 - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York Sea Grant (NYSG) have announced workshops to help shoreline property owners, contractors, and land managers interested in applying natural and nature-based features to protect waterfront areas.

“At the Water’s Edge: Working with Nature to Protect Shorelines Along Eastern Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River Shorelines” workshops will be offered from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, 2023 at Westcott Beach State Park, NYS Route 3 along Lake Ontario in the Town of Henderson, and on Friday, June 30, 2023 at Kring Point State Park, 25690 Kring Point Road along the St. Lawrence River and Goose Bay in the Town of Alexandria. 

There is no cost for the workshop; however, pre-registration is required for admission to the park courtesy of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Register for the June 29 workshop online at bit.ly/wwnworkshopjune2923, for the June 30 workshop at bit.ly/wwnworkshopjune3023.  Contact New York Sea Grant at 315-312-3042 for assistance.

Presentations will include information on:

• the role native vegetation plays at the water’s edge

• geologic processes, such as erosion, glaciation, and sediment transport, that impact the waterfront

• examples of local nature-based shoreline and conservation projects
 
• funding for community waterfront projects

• an optional shoreline walk with discussion about nature-based shoreline management techniques.


Living shoreline walking tour along the St. Lawrence River at Ogdensburg. Credit: Roy. L. Widrig/NYSG

DEC Region 6 Environmental Analyst Molly Farrell notes, “Living Shorelines management techniques build resilience by incorporating ecological functions and benefits into the built environment.” 

The DEC offers pre-shoreline project permit application site visits. New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Coastal Processes and Hazards Specialist Roy L. Widrig works with property owners virtually and in-person to assess the best fit options for their specific shoreline erosion issues. 

Widrig, author of Working with Nature: A Guide to Native Plants for New York’s Great Lakes Shorelines (pdf), said, “Native plants can be used to stabilize shorelines, sand dunes, and beaches; and absorb storm water while also providing habitat for native species.” 

For example, Farrell points out, “Along the St. Lawrence River there are steep, clay banks that slope down to the river. Where the shoreline is vegetated, you may see trees, shrubs, and grasses along the bank that transition to emergent vegetation in the water. The deep-rooted vegetation helps stabilize the soil and protects the shoreline from erosion.” 

Widrig has recently co-authored a guide to “Erosion and Recession of New York’s Coastal Bluffs” that includes an insert that property managers can use to monitor erosion impact on a property. 

“Monitoring an area subject to erosion helps alert landowners when mitigation measures are needed to maintain both the natural environment and the human objectives for the shoreline,” Widrig said.

More Info: Working With Nature Workshop Details

WHAT: At the Water’s Edge: Working with Nature to Protect Shorelines Along Eastern Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River: DEC, NY Sea Grant Workshop and Waterfront Walk
WHERE: Westcott Beach State Park, NYS Route 3, Town of Henderson
WHEN: June 29, 2023; 1-4 P.M. workshop, optional walk follows
COST: Free. Pre-registration required for free admission to park.    
REGISTER at bit.ly/wwnworkshopjune2923
MORE INFO: 315-312-3042

WHAT: At the Water’s Edge: Working with Nature to Protect Shorelines Along Eastern Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River: DEC, NY Sea Grant Workshop and Waterfront Walk
WHERE: Kring Point State Park, 25690 Kring Point Road, Redwood
WHEN: June 30, 2023; 1-4 P.M. workshop, optional walk follows
COST: Free. Pre-registration required for free admission to park.
REGISTER at bit.ly/wwnworkshopjune3023
MORE INFO: 315-312-3042


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.